Today we remember Buddy Ryan, who died at 82 on Tuesday.
A lot of people will remember Ryan as the defensive coordinator of the 1985 Chicago Bears (who can still go fuck themselves). As much as we all hate those douchers, I always kind of had a soft spot for Ryan.
He was like your pissed off, drunken grandfather. He just didn’t give a shit.
Defense fighting with the offense in practice?
GOOD!
My enjoyment of Buddy began after the Bears won that Super Bowl. Ryan got carried off the field and that pissed Mike Ditka off.
Ditka got carried off too, of course, but there were only a couple guys interested in hoisting him. The whole goddam defense was gathered around Buddy.
Suck on that, Mike.
Ryan left the Bears to coach the Philadelphia Eagles after that win, something everyone knew was an inevitability. And what wasn’t to like about Buddy Ryan’s Eagles teams?
Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Keith Jackson and, most of all, Randall Cunningham.
Randall Fucking Cunningham!
That dude was Mike Vicking before Mike Vick even knew how to jerk off.
Those Eagles, despite all their talent, could never get it done in the playoffs, but Buddy always made things interesting.
He ran up the score against Tom Landry’s Cowboys in 1987 as a measure of revenge. He offered bounties in two games against Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys in 1989. In fact, Cris Carter will tell you Ryan regularly employed bounties as an incentive.
Later, as defensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers, Ryan punched offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on the sideline during a game. Ryan didn’t like Gilbride’s run and shoot system — or as he called it, the chuck and duck — compromising his defense. Buddy let him know just how much right there for a live viewing audience.
A bygone era, I suppose.
One that will never come back.
The NFL was always a little duller without Buddy Ryan, though.
It’s certainly a little duller today.